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(No Model.) '2 Sheets-Sheva; 2.- W. H.l SOUTHWORTH.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

No. 517,595. Patented Apr.. s, 1894. IZ', z' a 2; Z' f 74/ 70'3 74/ 4o tachment for operating the switch. Fig. 7 is 'an enlarged detail sectional view on the line UNITED STATES APATENT OEEIOE..

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Arepresents the main track rails from which- WALTER H. SOUTHWOETH, OE MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOE OE TWO- THIRDSTO v. A. CORDES AND '.T. A. WEBB, OE SAME PLACE AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,595, dated April 3, 1894.

' Application nea Aprnzs, 1893. Serin No. 472,242. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom/,it mag/concern,.- i

Be it known that I, WALTER H. SOUTH- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, resid- .ing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Automatic Switch, of which the follow- Ving is a specification.

of the invention is to provide an improved automatic switch, and improved devices for controlling such switch whereby the necessity of having a switchv tender is avoidedfand accidents less likely to Occur.

With these and other objects in view whichv will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully de scribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:-Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a street railway track, showing my improved switch in position and a portion of a car .provided with the switch operatingdevices. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of the switch. Fig. 3 is a'central' vertical llongitudinal sectional view of the switch. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional View on the line 4--4 of Fig.r2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail transverse sectional view showing the cleaning springs attached to .the movable switch plate. Fig. 6 is an end view of the car at- 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is acentraltransverse sectional view of the operating devices. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view on the line x-x of Fig. 8.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

lead the side or branch' rails B, in the 'ordi' nary manner, and at the intersection of one I l of the railsA with one of. the side or branch rails B,'is arranged the switch box or casting C, which box or casting carries the switching devices employed for shifting the cars or trains from the main track to the side or 55.

off-standing guide grooves E, and seated in 6o the pocket or recess D, is the pivoted switch plate F, the top face of which isiiush lwith the top face of the box orcasting C. The pivoted switch plate F, is pivoted at one end on the pivot screwf, which also serves tov hold the plate in position within the box or casting, and is embracedat its other end by the transverse sliding yoke F', provided with the laterally extending lugs or arms G, which are adapted to move in the oE-standing 7o grooves E, in said" box or casting the said movable or pivoted switch plate being of a suitable width in order to allow for the lateral play thereof inside of the switch box or casting C. carries upon the top thereof the pointed switch rail H, which is designed to align with one of the main track rails A, so as to guide or direct the cars along the'main track,

or to be moved away from the straight line So lof the main track rail, and into alignment with one of theV branch rails B, so as to switch the cars in the ordinary manner, and said pointed switch rail H, is designed to play between the opposite rail plates h. The opposite rail plates h, are detachably secured to the top of the switch box or casting at opposite sides thereof, so as to overlap the opposite edges of the movable switch plate therein, and said rail plates h, are disposed in a line 9o with the main and branch rails respectively, so that as the switch rail iS thrown against v either of the same, the cars will be directed onto the side rails or straight along the main track as the case may be, the flange of the of the rail plates h, the point thereof regis- Ico V ters in the shoulders h', so that no projecting edges are presented to the iianged 'car wheels.

The pivoted switch plate F, 75

As may be clearly seen in the drawings the top of the switch plate F, on each side ot' the switch rail thereon, is provided with the longitudinal dirt grooves h2, which grooves align with corresponding grooves 718, at the top ends of the switch box or casting, and said grooves serve to catch and hold accumulations of dirt and other matter,which is scraped from the bottom of the overlapping rail plates h, by means of the cleaning springs h4, which may be attached to the top of the pivoted switch plate, so that as the same is moved back and forth, such springs will bear under the rail plates and clean the same from any dirt or obstructions which would tend to clog up the switch. The opposite rail plates 7L, are provided at apoint directly over the guide grooves E, with the slots I, in which move the roller stems t, attached at their inner ends to the lugs or arms G, of the switch plateyoke, and carrying at their outer ends the shifting rollers L",between which are adapted to travel the devices carried by the car for shifting the switch rail by contacting with either of said rollers, and which I shall now proceed to describe.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, of the drawings, J represents the front end of a street car, which of course may be an engineers cab or other part of the car from which the switch operating devices are to be controlled, such switchoperating devices being ot' course arranged in advance of the foremost set of wheels, so as to set the switch properly before the wheels reach it. Secured to a suitable point of attachment in advance of the front set of wheels of the car, is the attachment plate j, to thel opposite ends of which and depending therefrom are the opposite pairs of brackets K. The brackets K, of each pair are provided at their lower ends with the feet or flanges 7c, and have attached thereto at asuitable point above said feet or flanges correspondingly disposed bracket arms 7c', said feet or flanges and said bracket arms being perforated. The perforations in the bracket arms of the inner or rear brackets of each opposite pair are elongated to form slots L, to provide for the lateral play of the rear shoe-stems M, which arise from the front and rear ends of the shifting shoes N, and which pass through the flanges 7c, and the bracket arms 7a', of each opposite pair, as clearly illustrated in the drawings.

The shifting shoes N, are flat and slightly tapered from their front ends, and by reason of the lateral play of the rear'stems, the front ends of said shoes are pivoted so that the shoes can be disposed at the proper angle in order to properly set the switch, said shoes being held in close proximity to the track by means of the springs O, arranged on the stem y between the flanges and bracket arms. The springs O, alsoallow the'shoes toyield upward to pass obstructions on the rails.

The laterally movable stems of the opposite shifting shoes N, are connected by the transverse laterally movable shifting bar I), which bar carries at an intermediate point the perforated lugs or ears p, in which is mounted the horizontal rod Q. The horizontal rod Q, is provided with a slotted box R,into one end of the slot of which works the set screw r, and at each side of which on the rod are coiled the opposite springs r', bearing against the perforated lugs or ears p, so as to allow the rod to yield properly to prevent any part of the switch controlling devices from being broken or injured by any unusual jar or tension caused by obstruction in the switch. The slot in the box R, receives the crank pin S, of the crank wheel or hub s, carried upon the lower end of the turning operating shaft T, which carries at its other end a crank handle t arranged in convenient position for the op erator. By adjusting the screw r, and therefore regulating the width of the slot in the box R, the degree of lateral play of the transverse shifting bar P, can be regulated, so that the pitch or angle of the shifting shoes can also be regulated. Nowitwillbe readily apparent that by manipulating the shaft T, the operator can set the shifting shoes atsuch an angle, so that, according to which side of the track the switch is on, one of said shoes will pass between the shifting rollers i', and will contact with one of said rollers so as to slide the same out, to throw the switch rail against one of the rail plates, and thereby properly set the switch for the guidance of the car.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described automatic switch will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and I will haveit understood that changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction, as embraced within the scope of the appended claims, may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is g 1. In a switch, the combination of a switch box or casting having a pocket or recess, a switch plate pivoted in said pocket or recess t and carrying a pointed switch rail, opposite rail plates attached to said switch box or 'casting on each side of the `switch rail, and traveling devices for shifting the switch plate, substantially as set forth.

2. In a switch,`the combination'of a switch box or casting having a pocket or recess and `opposite slotted rail plates, a switch plate pivoted in said pocket or recess beneath the rail plates and carrying a pointed switch rail moving between said plates, shifting stems connected to the switch plate, `and lmeans for laterally moving said shit tin g stems, substantially as set forth.

3. In an antomatic`switch,`the combination of a switch box orcasting having a pocket IOO IIC

or recess, rail plates removably attached `to the opposite top sides of said box or casting and having slots at one end, a movable switch plate pivoted at one end in said pocket or recess and carrying a pointed switch rail moving between said rail plates, roller stems attached to the switch'plate and moving in the slots in the rail plates, rollers mounted on the upper ends of said stems, and traveling shifting devices adapted to travel between said rollers and to contact with either one of the same, substantially as set forth.

4. In a switch, the recessed box or casting, a movable switch plate pivoted at one end in the box or casting and carrying a pointed switch rail, said plate being provided with longitudinal dirt grooves on each side' of the switch rail, opposite rail plates attached to said box or casting and overlapping the switch plate, and cleaning springs attached tothe switch` plate and bearing under the opposite rail plates, substantiallyas setforth. p

5. In an automatic switch, a switch box or casting having a recess and off-standing grooves at one end of said recess, opposite railxplatesattached yto opposite top sides lof said box or casting and having slots over said off-standing guide grooves and shoulders at their inner edges, a movable switch plate pivoted at Vone end in the recess of said box or casting and having lugs at one end moving in said off-standing guide grooves, and carrying a pointed switch rail adapted to be thrown into the shoulders of the rail plates, roller stems attached to the lugs of the said switch plate and moving in the slots of said rail plates, and shifting rollers attached to the upper ends of said stems above therail plates, substantially as set forth.

.6. The combination with a switch carrying..

to adjust the angle of the shoes,substantially Y as set forth.

8. vThe combinationwith a switch having a movable switch rail carrying separated shiftying rollers; of depending brackets suspended from a car and having perforated bracket arms certain ofwhich are provided with slots, flat shifting shoes having stems mounted in said bracket arms to leave their rear ends free to move laterally, springs arrangedon-said stems to normally extend the iiat shoes below the brackets near t0 the track rails, a transverse shifting bar connecting the rear laterlally movable shoe stems, and a crank or eccentric device for moving the transverse shifting bar laterally to adjust the angle of the shoes, substantially as setforth.

9. The combination with a car, of flat shifting shoes supported from the car and pivoted at their front ends, a transverse shifting bar connecting the rear movable ends of said shoes and carrying perforated lugs orears at an intermediate point, a horizontal rod mount-V ed in 'said perforated lugs or ears and having a slotted box, a set screw working into one end of the slot in said box, springs arranged onnsaid rod between said box and the perforated lugs or ears, a turning operating shaft carrying at one end a crank wheel or hub provided with a crank pin adapted towork in the slot of said slotted` box, substantially as set forth.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

` WALTER H. SOUTHWORTH. Witnesses:

C. D. vFINLEY, L. M. WADE. 

